After considering the active players most likely to join Kobe Bryant and the four other players with 30,000 career points last week, now it's time to consider the cautionary examples of players who once were likely to score 30,000 but never got there.

On Wednesday, Kobe Bryant made history as the fifth member of the NBA's 30,000-point club. An analysis of active players' chances of getting there suggests the group is in for expansion in the next decade or two.

Looking to improve a weak spot at point guard and help their young options develop, the Dallas Mavericks signed Derek Fisher as a free agent Thursday. Don't expect the aging Fisher to make much of a difference.

In the completion of a two-part series, a look at the players who have seen their projection drop the most based on performance to date. Depending on perspective, these players have either been big disappointments or are most likely to play better the rest of the season.

On Tuesday, Jack Taylor made headlines by scoring 138 points for D-III Grinnell. While the Pioneers' uber-fast pace requires us to take some of the air out of Taylor's gaudy numbers, they remain impressive in context.

Grantland's Jonathan Abrams did a great job of tracing Zach Randolph's path to maturity off the court. On it, Randolph has gone from promising young reserve to overpaid starter to All-Star in unpredictable fashion.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, already playing without three key players for extended periods, suffered another injury loss when the Oregonian reported Sunday that Brandon Roy will undergo arthroscopic knee surgery.